Trans actor Cloud Quinn, known for The Guardian Weekend and Alice Oseman’s I Was Born For This, has created a one-hour journey through the remarkable life of Dr Michael Dillon, the first trans man to undergo medical transition in the UK.
This two-hander will co-star another trans actor, Kay Elúvian (World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, John Scalzi’s Slow Time Between the Stars).
Born in 1915, Michael Dillon faced challenges in a society that labelled him a girl. Ultimately, he was able to live authentically with the assistance of hormone therapy and surgery. His journey was supported by compassionate doctors, particularly Sir Harold Gillies, a distinguished plastic surgeon who treated Michael and men wounded in World War II.
Michael’s journey took him to Oxford University, medical school at Trinity College Dublin, the Merchant Navy, and India as a novice Buddhist monk. He was the first Westerner to be ordained as such. The play also explores Dillon’s relationship with Roberta Cowell, a trans woman who, like Dillon, received some of the earliest recorded gender-affirming care in the UK.
“great storytelling, excellent characteristics, humour, sadness, and joy!”
Eminent transmasculine actor Tigger Blaize
Cloud says that writing about Dillon’s successful transition in the 1940s was a bittersweet experience. Cloud is concerned that today, accessing gender-affirming healthcare is becoming even more challenging. Few plays feature trans performers telling trans stories, and trans identities are openly mocked by senior political and media figures, including the last Prime Minister.
Cloud and Kay told QX that they hope audiences will be inspired by Dillon’s journey’s highs and empathize with him as he seeks a normal life and explores Buddhist philosophy.
The Strange Case of Michael Dillon premiered at the Brighton Fringe in 2024
Tickets are available now for the extended run at Camden People’s Theatre on July 29th, 30th, and 31st at 7.15pm.
All photos by Chris Jepson, https://chrisjepson.com
